Pecan Tassies
Pecan Tassies (also known as Pecan Nut Cups or Pecan Delights)…are wonderful little nut cups, made with a cream cheese pastry dough and filled with a suburb pecan/walnut filling. The perfect bite-size treat!
I tried to find the origin of this cookie. The closest thing I could find was a Pecan Butter tart with its origin from Canada. It seems to be derived from several pies…Border Tart (similar, but includes dried fruit), Sugar pie, Pecan Pie, Backwards Pie (made with Corn Syrup), Shoofly Pie (made with molasses) and/or Treache Tart (made with golden syrup or treacle).
We received this recipe from a neighbor of my Grandmother, Mrs. Traski. Our family actually calls these, Mrs. Traski’s Pecan Delights. They are definitely a family favorite.
These cookies are so easy to make, but it helps to have a Tart/Pastry Tamper to ensure the dough lines each cup of a mini muffin pan perfectly. The dough will also puff up, so rolling the dough out to 1/8 inch helps to ensure a light and tender crust. More room for the yummy filling that way!
Additionally, I tried making these in a mini-muffin pan with 24 cups. The ones in the center didn’t cook all the way through and I had to put the center ones back in the oven to continue to cook. In the past, I always had a 12 cup mini-muffin pan, but I haven’t found them since I moved. Of course, I decided to purchase another 12 cup mini-muffin pan and they came out perfectly, all cooked at the same time.
The filling consists of light brown sugar, butter, vanilla, egg and nuts similar to a pecan pie with a crunchy topping. We use a mix of pecans and walnuts. These are not as sweet as a pecan pie. However, I do like to mix the nuts, as the addition of the walnuts add another layer of flavor. No one seems to miss not having all pecans, as they do not last very long. They only thing you will need to worry about when making these, are where to hide them, so you have enough left for any special occasion or holiday.
If you love my Pecan Tassies recipe, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you made these delightful holiday cookies, post your beautiful creations on Instagram and tag me. Don’t forget to subscribe and you will receive an email whenever I post a new recipe.
Pecan Tassies
Ingredients
- Dough
- 1 pound unsalted European butter, softened
- 8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
Pecan/Walnut Filling - 3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3 cups chopped nuts (half pecans, half walnuts)
- Dash of salt
Directions
- Step 1 In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the softened butter and the cream cheese.
- Step 2 Add the eggs and mix well.
- Step 3 Gradually add in the sifted flour that has been mixed with the sugar and salt.
- Step 4 Mix well, but do not over mix.
- Step 5 Form dough into a disc. Wrap in saran wrap, label and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Step 6 Preheat the oven to 350 degreed Fahrenheit.
- Step 7 For the filling, mix the brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla in a large bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Add in the chopped nuts and salt. Mix to incorporate.
- Step 8 Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick. You want a thin shell and they do puff up. Cut into rounds that will fit in each muffin cup. Press the dough to line each cup. Use the tamper to ensure the pastry dough evenly lines each section.
- Step 9 Fill each shell with the nut filling.
- Step 10 Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 14-15 minutes.
- Step 11 Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Step 12 Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar to serve.
